Short and long-term survival in type A aortic dissection justifies the operative risk and effort.

Objectives: To evaluate the survival rate and complications after operation for acute aortic dissection type A.

Design: Chart review of all consecutive patients with aortic dissection admitted during 1999-2008 (n = 99) to Oslo University Hospital Ullevål, Oslo. RESULTS. Thirty-day mortality was 14 patients and late mortality 21 patients. Twenty-nine patients had no postoperative complications. Cerebral affection was seen in 22 patients. Seventy-nine patients were operated on with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. Mean circulatory arrest time was 23 minutes (range 12-47). Eighty-three of the patients were cannulated through the femoral artery, with a 30-day mortality rate of 17% (n = 14) versus 0% for other cannulations (n = 16); and a stroke rate of 24% (n = 20) versus 17% (n = 2) in patients cannulated in the subclavian or axillary artery (no statistically significant difference in either mortality or stroke).

Conclusions: Our study confirms that overall mortality and neurological complications are acceptable and the long-term survival rate is good in patients operated on for acute aortic dissection. Circulatory arrest time seems not to affect neurological complications when being relatively short.